Uncurling guide for sewing machines



y 1943- H. HACKLANDER UNCURLING GUIDE FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed March 22, 1941 Hans Hac-k/ander Patented May 4, 1943 ii Ni TED STA E-s PATEN T a s asss UNCURLINQ FOR-'SEWI-N G Hans Hacklanden I-linden, J., assignor to :The

Singer :Manufactnrin .N. J .,..a corporation This invention relates to fabric uncurling and guiding devices and more particularly to that type of uncurling and guiding devices used on hosiery g Company, Elisabeth,

f New Jersey Application March 22, 1941, Serial No. 384,635 .4 Claims. (01. 1i2 ,20)

or the selvage edges are brought into juxtaposed relation with each other. The overlying edges of both the heel and toe portions are then respectively stitched together. The remaining edges of the stocking blank are then seamed-between the previously stitched toe and heel portions and along the back of the leg portion from the heel to the top thereof.

In these last two seaming operationsthe problem arises of properly inserting the stitched toe and heel portions between the feed-cups and placing the unseamed selvage edges into the uncurling device so that the unseamed edges of the stocking will be initially presented to the feedcups at the correct height relative to the needle and in an uncurled condition. To thus insert the stocking between the cups, the operator must grasp the previously stitched toe or heel portion in one hand while grasping the unseamed foot or leg portion in the other hand, and as the stitched portion of either the toe or heel represents a relatively short section of material, the operator encounters great difiiculty in properly placing said stitched sections between the feed-cups at the correct elevation. Furthermore, the free space about the stitching area of a cup-feedsewing machine is so limited that an operator-has very little room in which to maneuver the-work about. To initially adjust theheight of the work correctly is an important consideration in the seaming of fine mesh stockings as a weak seam results if the fabric edges have not'been brought to a sufficient elevation so that the needle may penetrate the material at a substantial distance from the edges of the fabric. However, to initially raise the stocking edges too high relative to the needle level would result in a heavy unsightly seam.

To overcome these difficulties in the past some uncurling devices have been so designedthatthey could be bodily raised relative to the needle level in order to insure that the fabric edges would be brought to a sumcient height at the beginning of the seaming operation. It has been f oundthat a stocking has a tendency to drop slightly after leaving the uncurling device and' -it therefore' reaches the path of needle reciprocation a e tion to provide an extremely lmple and ineigpen- I sive .uncurling guide which permit the edges of a fabric to be initially raised to the proper extent, prior to the seaming-operation, without the necessity of bodily -e"levaiting'--the uncurl-ing mechanism. v A further object :of this invention is to provide an uncurli-n g guide which willinitially raise the edges of a fabric to a predetermined level in order that the first few stitches will hefplaced'at a proper distance' f-ron i said edges.

With' these and-other obiiectsih view, as will hereinafter appear, the inventionconsis'ts in the devices, combi-na'tions and arrangements of parts described in --con nection with the accompanying preferred embodidrawing, which illustrates a ment ofthe invention and in which:

Fig. l is airont elevation of the present invention showing the entrance end thereof a-nd i-l l-ustrating't'hedevice as applied to a-cup-feedhosiery seaming sewing machine. W

Fig.2 is-a sideelevation-oi thepresent invention as applied to a cup ieedsewing machine with-the outer" feed-cup removed.

Fig. 3 is a disassembled main elements of the'device. 7

Fig.4 is a side elevation of the device, detached mm the sewing ,m chinebut illustrated-as sang in operativeposition a containing a sweat-g fi P i nes igi fiQ 1 s mmaasee- Fig. -5;is a fragmentary view of. a portion 'gf a modification orthe improved device. Referring morespecifical'lytp thedrawing, the Improved nendin a vi ideYiQ 15 1 d as a pli d to a cu -iced t p .scf ins machine having a Standard and overhangngb a e 2 .fro w ic th i end ng ilide cl c i .A fidii ll j 'i lpll r fidib 't cs 1 1nd I and coope its in advanc ng th Li rest he stit9hing-p .e hanismwith a sec nd printer feed cup 4 which "depends from the overhanging perspective view of the bracket 2. As best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the uncurling guide is mounted directly in front of the feed-cups 3 and 4 and functions to uncurl and direct the juxtaposed fabric edges of a stocking prior to the stitching operation.

A more detailed description of the cup-feed sewing machine may be had by reference to my Patent No. 2,277,970, March 311, 1942.

One modification of the present invention is illustrated as comprising a central shank portion 5 terminating in a fabric-guiding plate 6.

5 are two cross-bars 1 and 8 which are provided respectively with two threaded aperture 9 and two plain apertures l adapted to receive the threaded pins ll. Cooperating with the shank are two presser-members l2 pivotally secured thereto by means of the pins ll passing through apertures 21 provided in said members. These presser-members l2 terminate in uncurling plates 13 which are urged toward the guide-plate 6 by means of the coil-spring I4. This spring it passes through the aperture l5 provided in the shank 5 to bear against the recessesd bosses [5 of the presser-members l2. Mounted within and transversely of the guide-plate 5 is a gauge pin 11 which extends from each face thereof to be received within each of the apertures 18 provided in the presser-members l2. Each uncurling plate I3 is formed with the usual uncurling protuberance l9 located upon the entrance end thereof.

The shank portion 5 is pivotally secured to the overhanging head 2 of the machine by means o f, a latching device which is illustrated but not described in this case. For a more detailed description .of this latching device, reference may be had to my Patent No. 2,256,672, September 23, 1941. v The fabric-guiding. plate 6 is formed at its discharge end with a substantially vertically disposed trailing edge 20 the upper portion of which terminates at a corner point 2| located below the lower edge of the guide-pin l'l. Sloping upwardly and towards the entrance end of the-uncurling device from the corner 2| is a shoulder portion 22 extending to a reentrant corner at point 23 which is substantially above the lower edge and below the upper edge of the guide-pin l7. Rising vertically from th point 23 is the abutment edge-portion 30 of the guiding plate 6. As shown in Fig. 4 the guide-plate 6 extends beyond the discharge ends of the uncurling plates I3 so as to properly support theedges of a fabric while they are between the discharge ends of the uncurling plates and the path. of needle reciprocation. Such support will help to prevent the; unseamed fabric edges from recurling.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modification of the present device in which the trailing edge 20 has been extended backwardly to a greater degree than that of the form illustrated in Fig. 4, for a purpose hereinafter referred to. I

In using the present uncurling device, the opr:

erator grasps the previously stitched stocking portion 24, which in Fig. 4 represents the heel;

portions of a stocking, in one hand and the unseamed edges 29 in the other hand and inserts the edges thereof into the uncurler in the usual manner.' The operator thereupon deviates from her heretofore usual procedure and pulls back upon the stocking towards the entrance end of the device and thus forces the stitched portion 24 of the stocking up the inclined shoulder 22, Fig.

4. so that the end-portion 28 of the heel seam is Secured to and disposed transversely of the shankmodified device illustrated in Fig. 5 is disclosed as having its sloping shoulder portion 22 entirely behind the discharge ends of the uncurling faces so that the distance between the path of needle reciprocation and the elevated point 28 of the stitched fabric edges 24 would be shortened to thereby further minimize the falling action of the fabric. As soon as the first few stitches have been placed, the stocking will then be automatically fed along'its normal line of feed.

It will be understood, therefore, from the above description, that the present uncurling guide provides a simple inexpensive means by which an operator may quickly and efliciently overcome the difliculties of initially hand-positioning a stocking blank between the feeding-cups of a sewing machine.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

l. A fabric uncurling and guiding device for sewing machines comprising, a central shank terminating in a fabric-guiding plate, a gauge pin carried by and disposed transversely of said guiding plate for contacting and gauging the height of the edges of a fabric, said guiding plate being provided with an inclined shoulder portion located on the trailing edge thereof and having a portion of said inclined shoulder disposed below said gauge pin for raising an initially seamed portion of said fabric above the normal feeding level as defined by the lower edge of said gauge pin, and presser-members adapted to cooperate with said guiding plate in the uncurling and guiding of the fabric.

2. A fabric uncurling and guiding device for sewing machines, comprising, a central shank terminating in a fabric-guiding plate, a gauge pin carried by and disposed transversely of said guiding plate for engaging and limiting the height of fabric edges, said fabric-guiding plate being provided with an inclined edge-portion located at the trailing edge thereof, said inclined edgeportionbeing formed so as to slope upwardly towardthe entrance end of thedevice and terminate at its upper end at a point above the level of the lower edge of said gauge pin, the lower end of said inclined edge-portion terminatingat apoint below the level of the lower edge of said gauge pin, and presser-members adapted to cooperate with said guiding plate in the un-, curling and guiding of a fabric.

3. A fabric uncurling and guiding device for sewing machines, comprising, a central shank terminating in a fabric-guiding plate, a gauge pin carried by and disposed transversely of said guiding plate for contacting and gauging the height of the edges of a fabric, said guide-plate.

being provided with a substantially vertically disposed trailing edge the top portion of which,

terminates at a point below the level of the lower edge of said gauge pin in an inclined shoulder portion, said inclined shoulder being formed so as to slope upwardly toward the entrance end of" the device and terminate at a point below the level of the upper edge of said gauge pin in avertically disposed edge portion, and presser-;

4. A fabric uncurling and guiding device for sewing machines, comprising, a central shank terminating in a fabric-guiding plate, a gauge pin carried by and disposed transversely of said guiding plate for contacting and gauging the height of the edges of a fabric, said guide-plate being provided with two vertically disposed trailing straight edge-portions connected by an inclined straight edge-portion forming with one of said trailing straight edge-portions a seam-positioning reentrant corner the lower portion of said inclined straight edge-portion being disposed at a point below the level of the lower edge of said gauge pin, and presser-members adapted to cooperate With said guiding plate in the uncurling and guiding of a fabric.

HANS HACKLANDER. 

